Black Hill (MoorLIFE Project)

Black Hill, owned by Yorkshire Water, is in the north of the Peak District National Park and marks the summit between the Longdendale and Holme Valleys. Atmospheric pollution over the last 150 years from nearby industrial towns and cities including Manchester, and wild fires, had led to great expanses of bare black peat.

Conservation work on site was carried out by Moors for the Future Partnership using the Heritage Lottery Fund and then built on by the EU-funded MoorLIFE project.

Black Hill is near the Holme Moss transmitter and can be accessed from the A6024 Woodhead-Holmfith Road. It is situated on the Pennine Way and is just off the Kirklees Way.

Moors for the Future partnership has completed the following restoration activities on site:

• Spread 50 million Sphagnum fragments to re-introduce this key peat-building moss

The MoorLIFE project was made possible by a £5.5m grant from the European Union’s LIFE+ programme. 

MoorLIFE’s scale and success is very much the result of partnership working. The project was co-ordinated by the Peak District National Park, delivered by Moors for the Future Partnership and co-funded by the European Commission’s Life+ Programme. Partners included Environment Agency, Natural England, National Trust, United Utilities and Yorkshire Water.